“In ancient Japan, cherry blossoms had been emblematic of new life and new beginnings.” — Naoke Abe

Are You Ready to be Strong? sundays with sara Jul 18, 2021

“Power can be nurtured from without. But its roots must be within.”

— Aluwyn, The Saga Vasuki (Willow: Wonderland / BTVS sn9)

Power can be found in the most unusual of places, but the most enduring sources are the ones we find within ourselves. I remember having disagreements...

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Happy Birthday SharedBrain! love notes sundays with sara Jul 10, 2021

Dearest M,

Today is your birthday, and as I started typing this note a giant ship in Boston Harbor sounded glorious 5 toots with their foghorn. I love that instead of one long blow of the horn per usual, it was 5 because 5 is your favorite number and here I am starting this love letter to you for...

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Whispers of Heart Openings sundays with sara Jun 27, 2021

Listen to the whispers of the body, before they become screams.

A student (and friend and colleague) recently reminded me that I offered this quote so many years ago at CBY, and it had me thinking about how much has changed in the last year, the last five years, the last 10 years. I taught my...

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Internal Conflicts: Embracing the Battles from the archives sundays with sara Jun 27, 2021

I'm spending the weekend with the nieces for their first-ever sleepover at my apartment, so I thought I'd share something this morning from the archives of my writings. I stumbled upon this and thought it apropos considering all the change that’s been surrounding the world lately...

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Diving In: The Education of Self-Reflection sundays with sara Jun 06, 2021

“Death is known only through dying and truth is known only through diving deep within oneself.”

Maitreya Rudrabhayananda

It is always at the end of a teacher training or an intense stretch of teaching without a break that I feel the most craving for simply being a student, to...

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The Pleasurable Discomfort of Non-Attachment sundays with sara May 23, 2021

Despite the budding springtime of growth and renewal, this time of year brings up thoughts of loved ones passed. It was 7 years ago that my beloved Mocha died, and 13 since Copper died (the resulting depression of which sent me on a path from science and academics to opening a yoga studio)...

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Fear is a Mind Killing Care Bear sundays with sara May 16, 2021

“Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?'

'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”

George R.R. Martin

Fear is a mind killer, indeed, and Melanie spoke of this in one of the CBY newsletters a while back. Today, I want to expand...

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Dear Life Giver, Happy Mother's Day! love notes sundays with sara May 09, 2021

“But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin.”...

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Ready or not, here Change comes... sundays with sara May 02, 2021

Bottom line is, even if you see 'em comin', you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So, what are we? Helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when...

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The Inner Critic, pt 2 sundays with sara Apr 18, 2021

“To come into the present is to stop the war.” — Jack Kornfield

I’ve continued marinating on the thoughts of last week, and even started writing this part 2 in my mind before posting the original piece last Sunday. I spoke of our inner bully, critic, nemesis. If you...

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The Inner Critic sundays with sara Apr 11, 2021

I’m part of a fitness group and every Wednesday night, our amazing coach (who just so happens to also be #CBYAlumni) leads us in a thought-provoking call to help us not only grow in our physical fitness, but also in the realm of overall physical health and mental well-being. We talk quite...

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Cozy Hugs & Techno Heart Parties sundays with sara Apr 04, 2021

In the early years of Cherry Blossom Yoga, I often taught several classes in a row on Sundays. Some Sundays, I taught every class we had on the schedule for the day — and those days lovingly became known as ‘Sundays with Sara’. I was always tickled by the alliteration of that...

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